Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born into a prosperous family and lived near Kassel being educated at home. However, when their father died there was no more money and it was hard work getting through law school. Soon after leaving University, the brothers began a completely different project which culminated in 'Nursery and Household Tales' being published in two volumes, the first in 1812 and the second in 1815.

The brothers loved working together and, even when Wilhelm got married, his wife moved in with them and became, to all intents and purposes, their housekeeper.

The stories were collected from the oral traditions of the region between just north of Frankfurt all the way up to Bremen on the coast and the people who supplied these tales were largely middle class, not peasants as has been suggested. The originals are very different from the Disney versions that children all know and love. For example, Rapunzel was actually pregnant after being imprisoned by the prince, and the evil queen in Snow White was actually the girl's mother. Many of the stories involve hunger, murder, jealousy and, in Cinderella, the stepsisters actually cut off parts of their feet to get the slipper to fit.

The brothers published seven editions, making each one more child-friendly, the last one - the best known - being issued in 1857. They became more detailed, elegant and Christian and some of them almost doubled in length.

The brothers were also serious philologists and members of the German civil parliament. They worked together, as always, on 'The History of the German Language' and began the German Dictionary - their last project. Wilhelm died at age 73 and Jacob carried on for 4 years taking the entries up to 'F'. They are both buried in the Schoneberg Cemetary in Berlin.

Many people believe that the original stories should be re-published and it is time to stop 'dumbing' down the tales. However Disney has a hold on our hearts with the colourful scenes, music and all-family entertainment package.

Otherwise known as Lewis Carroll, was born in on 27th January 1832 in Daresbury, Cheshire. His father, Charles (as were his grandfather and great grandfather) was a clergyman in the Anglican church. His mother was Frances Jane Lutwidge. Charles was the eldest boy but already had two older sisters and there were to be eight younger. When Charles was 11 the family moved from Daresbury to Croft-on-Tees in North Yorkshire where they stayed for 25 years. His early education was at home and he proved to be an able student, reading 'A Pilgrim's Progress' at the age of 7. When he was 12 he went to a small school in Richmond not far away and at 14 he went to Rugby, the same school that his father had attended. He excelled but was not happy and left after 3 years. There is a gap of 2 years before he went to Oxford in 1851, again following his father's footsteps, to Christ Church College. He had only been there 2 days before his mother died at the age of 47. After a year he received a First Honours in Maths and this led to his winning the Christ Church Mathematical Lectureship - a place held by him for 26 years. The work was boring (he felt) but it paid well and he remained at the University for the rest of his life.

His health was not good - he was deaf in one ear, had a weak chest from a whooping cough attack at age 17, he had a knee injury and also suffered with a stammer. This, however, did not appear to stop him becoming a very good entertainer - singing, storytelling and mimicry. Perhaps the stammer enhanced his ability as he was determined to overcome it. He was also good at the game of charades.

His associates were of the pre-Raphaelite persuasion after meeting with John Ruskin in 1857 and becoming close friends with Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Arthur Hughes. The author George MacDonald was also a friend and it was to his children that Charles submitted Alice. They encouraged him to have the work published.

Charles had been submitting work for publication in magazines such as 'The Comic Times', 'Whitby Gazette@, 'The Train' and 'Oxford Critic' for some time and in 1856 he sent a poem to 'The Train' under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. Lewis is the English version of Ludovicus which is Latin for Lutwidge and Carroll is similar to the Latin Carolus which is where Charles originates.

The book 'Alice in Wonderland' is said to have been inspired by his friendship with Dean Henry Liddell, his wife Lorina and their children and yet Dodgson always denied that the Alice in the book was actually Henry's daughter, even though her name appears in a poem in 'Through the Looking Glass'.